Summarizing narrative texts and expository texts: from teaching to students' perceptions

Abstract

Reading and writing are two basic skills that impact learning throughout the curriculum. Understanding what one reads and being able to reorganize information, retaining the essential is a competence that becomes increasingly important as one advances in schooling. This study is an intervention based on methodology of investigation-action in three steps: pre-test, intervention, post-test and additional monitoring of students in two focus groups. It was carried out in two classes of the 6th year of schooling, in a TEIP school (“Educational Territories of Priority Intervention”), for six weeks. Its objectives were: (i) to evaluate pupils’ ability to summarize; (ii) to develop didactic sequences for abstract teaching in narrative and informative texts; and (iii) to develop reading and writing skills. The results show that the students valued the activities, developed very positive attitudes, with a greater involvement in classroom work and improved reading and writing skills, as measured by the comparison of pre- and post-tests and by data collected in the focus group.